Sex dolls for mental support
Sex dolls as mental support means they provide comfort on an emotional level. Think of placing sex dolls in the living room as company, at the kitchen table as a conversation partner, or in the bedroom to cuddle with at night. (1)
Just like having a pet such as a hamster or fish that essentially cannot talk back, it is worthwhile for some people to have this presence. They need some presence in the home to alleviate feelings of loneliness.
In science, this is called the tamagotchi effect, the effect where people develop a relationship with non-living objects, like the tamagotchi in the past. (2)
Sex dolls are therefore used for more purposes than just sex, purposes that enter a much deeper layer of emotion than you might initially think. (3)
Other purposes of sex dolls
Of course, it is not purely physical or purely emotional; combinations are also possible where a sex doll is used as a cuddle partner during sleep, combining the physical and emotional aspects.
We previously divided the different groups who bought sex dolls and discussed the physical and emotional purposes.
A Reddit user mentioned: "I bought a doll so I had someone to cuddle and hold in bed, I fall asleep better, and it helped with my mood after a difficult breakup." (4)
Human loneliness
The older someone gets, the lonelier they become. (5)
Social isolation is normal and truly present; it is logical that people want a solution for this and do not accept it. Various methods include getting a pet (6), even if it is electric (7) which has been shown to have a positive effect on loneliness.
Artificial chatbots (8) also have a positive effect on loneliness.
How sex dolls relieve loneliness
Given the fact that even robots (9), i.e., non-living beings, can relieve loneliness, it is plausible that sex dolls now and in their future development can also truly relieve and solve loneliness. Technology can indeed be used to combat social loneliness.
References:
- Lievesley, R., Reynolds, R., & Harper, C. A. (2023). The ‘PERFECT’ partner: Understanding the lived experiences of men who own sex dolls. Sexuality & Culture, 27(1419–1441). Retrieved December 17, 2025, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12119-023-10071-5
- Wikipedia. (n.d.). Tamagotchi effect. Retrieved December 17, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamagotchi_effect
- Aoki, S., & Kimura, T. (2021). A thing like a human? A mixed‑methods study on sex doll usage. Journal/Publisher (PMC). Retrieved December 17, 2025, from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10903549
- Reddit user contributions. (2023). Owners of sex dolls are less prone to sexual … Reddit. Retrieved December 17, 2025, from https://www.reddit.com/r/psychology/comments/11tri91/owners_of_sex_dolls_are_less_prone_to_sexual/
- Adams, J. E., Jones, J., & Smith, P. (2020). Loneliness: The present and the future. Ageing & Society, 48(4), 476–? Retrieved December 17, 2025, from https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/48/4/476/5423796
- Kretzler, B., König, H.‑H., & Hajek, A. (2022). Pet ownership, loneliness, and social isolation: A systematic review. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 57(10), 1935–1957. Retrieved December 17, 2025, from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9272860/
- Tkatch, R., Wu, L., MacLeod, S., Ungar, R., Albright, L., Russell, D., Murphy, J., Schaeffer, J., & Yeh, C. S. (2021). Reducing loneliness and improving well‑being among older adults with animatronic pets. Aging & Mental Health, 25(7), 1239–1245. Retrieved December 17, 2025, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32363903/
- Fu, Z., Yan, M., Han, X., Zhang, K., & Zhao, X. (2026). The effectiveness of artificial agents on loneliness reduction in older adults: A systematic review and meta‑analysis. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 140, 106056. Retrieved December 17, 2025, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41124893/
- Duffner, H., Susanty, A., et al. (2025). Wired for companionship: A meta‑analysis on social robots filling the void of loneliness in later life. The Gerontologist, 65(12). Retrieved December 17, 2025, from https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/65/12/gnaf219/8268528
